Four years, six months and five days after work began on it, the first official train of Namma Metro rolls out, to the coconut shells of the priests, the wave of the politicians, and the throng of passengers and the press, through crowded M.G. Road and Ulsoor, in Bangalore on Thursday, 20 October 2011.

Apparently, it took 96,900 tonnes of cement; 33,400 tonnes of structural steel; 1,500 tonnes of hi-tension wire; 215,000 metres of electrical cables; 3000 workers and 300 workers for just the first 6.7 kms of the 108.66 route, spread over six stations, a distance that will be traversed in 14 minutes.

12 comments

I can’t think of a better way to inaugurate Namma Metro. Years ago when Lintas Advertising (now Lowe India) inaugurated the office of its spinoff firm Karishma Advtg., in Bombay, a bhoomi puja (grahapravesham actually) was organized at the premises. Alyque Padamsee, then CEO of Lintas (a Muslim), Nowsher Desai (CEO of Karishma a Parsi), Stanley Pinto (a Catholic and Director Client Servicing), as well as a 100 employees of Lintas participated in the puja, sporting tilaks with abandon. A homam was raised, and Shelly Nandkeolyar and Anand Sabharwal (a mona Sikh) performed the homam, and Desai broke the coconut to formally complete the inauguration.

It is indeed disappointing to experience just 3 entry and exit gates at the largest ‘Namma Metro’ station! To give a better idea, every metro station in Singapore or Hong Kong (elevated or underground) have a mandatory minimum of 8 entry and same no of exit gates! Apart from lifts and special access to the handicapped. It must be noted that the population of Bangalore is 9.5 million compared to the population of Singapore which is 3.5 Million. By 2015, Bangalore’s population is supposed to increase by at least 20%-30% and thanks partly to our corrupt politicians, one can visualize the Mumbai trains kind-of-scenario in Namma Metro.

The second most noticeable and ‘shocking shortcoming’ in the Blr Metro is the lack of security features, in particular transparent, toughened glass barrier walls and automatic doors at the platforms, especially since the tracks are electrified!

Once the metro network expands, the 42.3 km double line electrified track in the first phase will have only 8.8 km underground tracks: a extremely poor short sighted strategy. Considering the fact that civil works began in 2007, after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone in 2006, Reach-1 was finally completed 2 years behind schedule, the total project cost has been revised to Rs11,609 crore ($2.37 billion) from the estimated Rs8,158 crore ($1.67 billion dollars), it is anybody guess as to when will the remaining 35.6 km route get completed, while an independent audit will surely reveal another 100 scams.

Not sure if it make sense to get on at Baiyappanahalli and get off at MG Road, unless you live or work along these lines or want to visit the pubs on Brigade Road. The main artery for Bangalore will always be Peenya-Dasarahlli to Majestic to Jayanagar and another secondary one from Hebbal to Majestic to Mysore Road.

This route will help them to realize the mistakes. At least something is happening. Once they start earning revenue, they definitely have to provide facilities to public. Hope they run on this route efficiently and ease the traffic to certain extent.

Bangalore has got its unique challenges. Roads are narrow. More properties to acquire, more areas to connect and hence more curves on the route. We always wanted Metro only due to the population of Bangalore and these curves have reduced the speed. So maximum train capacity would be 6 cars. Stations are smaller and hence less number of entry and exit gates.

Uttama.. Power to the metro is drawn from the third rail ,750v D.C, on the track.So there are no OH cables.
Yes-Metro enabled.Not free.
Phase one estimated to complete by end 2014.Re Start of Phase two..No announcements so far.
“BTB, Namma metro logo was created by Jayant and Mahendra
The logo is derived from a rangoli, the auspicious and welcoming symbol used near doorways of Indian households.It comprises a ‘track’ looping round a set of ‘destinations’& the seamless track loops continually, communicating the purpose of the metro — of making public transport smooth and effortless
The brand colours of Namma Metro are leaf green and purple. “Leaf green is a natural choice for the city of Bangalore, the Garden City with its green cover&represents the eco-friendly pollution-free nature of the metro as a form of transport. Purple, on the other hand, represents technology and modernity.
Reference: http://bangalorebuzz.blogspot.com/2006/03/namma-metro-logo-released.html
Metro is WiFi enable, though not free